When compiling a list of the best ETFs of the month, the first twenty or so will undoubtedly be double- or triple-leveraged funds. But what happens when you exclude these funds from the list and focus solely on more standard exchange-traded funds? After all, these leveraged funds involve significantly higher risk and their default nature gives them an upper hand in performance … in a way, they’re “cheaters.”

International stocks can be intimidating for many investors. When picking a country to focus on that’s outside the U.S., it often is hard to grasp how the local economy works, or identify the very best international stocks in the region that are worth your money.